Bills for Murray State Vet School Falter in KY Senate

Two bills that would have cleared the way for a new School of Veterinary Medicine at Murray State University in Western Kentucky have failed to advance out of committee in the Kentucky Senate. According to Rep. Richard Heath, a Republican from Mayfield, Ky., who introduced a bill in the House of Representatives, neither bill will pass before the Kentucky legislative session ends April 15. "So, we're gonna have to come back and try again next year as far as getting that statute amended," he said. House Bill 400 and identical Senate Bill 189, sponsored by Sen. Jason Howell, a Republican from Murray Ky., would have allowed Murray State to offer doctoral degrees required to become licensed in veterinary medicine. No university in Kentucky currently has a veterinary school, with the state's statute only authorizing the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to have such a program. There is a shortage of large animal veterinarians across much of the country, including those who work with horses. After sailing through the House on an 82-6 vote, with some opposition coming from representatives from Fayette County, where the University of Kentucky is located, the bill was never put to a vote in the Senate. Speaking this winter during an informational hearing of the Senate Education Committee, Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association chair Dr. Jim Weber said he had concerns about Murray State's distributive model for the planned veterinary school. Under a distributive model, students receive all or a substantial part of their clinical education at off-campus sites such as private practices rather than a university operating its own teaching clinic. A representative for the University of Kentucky told senators in the hearing that the university remained neutral on Murray State University's bid to add a veterinary school. Murray State University was appropriated $60 million in the state budget for a new veterinary sciences building as the university continues with its accredited veterinary technology program. Murray State University president Dr. Bob Jackson wrote in an email to BloodHorse that "we are very pleased" with the appropriation. Without a doctoral veterinary school, Kentucky has for years funded seats for its residents at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine through a regional contract program. According to Heath, applicants far outnumber the available positions in the school for Kentucky residents. Heath is chair of the House Agriculture Committee and a graduate of Murray State University. A joint resolution in the Senate has been proposed, to this point without a formal vote, in which the Council on Postsecondary Education would conduct a feasibility study on expanding postbaccalaureate program offerings at comprehensive universities. If such a study into the Murray State doctoral program comes back in the coming year with a recommendation, Heath said he would "take another run" at passing the bill.